Late Nights
by Blanket8713
Summary: When Vance is leaving the office late one night he confronts McGee to figure out why he is still there. After a conversation Vance brings McGee to his house for the night and begins to feel a strong attraction to McGee. How will he respond and how will it affect their office interactions? McGee/Vance Slash. Maybe another pairing at some point.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome! I hope you enjoy this story. I haven't given up on my other story (Escaped) if anyone was wondering just felt like writing this one too. I will try to be consistent in updating for both stories. Disclaimer- I don't own NCIS. Also this is unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own.**

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'Well I guess it is time to go home. I'm pretty sure every is gone by now and now the few on night shift are here.' Director Vance thought as he finished packing up his bags. He shut his desk light off and double checked to make sure he had his gun, badge and phone on his belt, before leaving his office, shutting and locking the door behind him. As he walk to the stairs that lead to the bullpen, he whistled a jolly tune thinking he was alone. In the middle of a note he noticed that Agent McGee was still at his desk. Vance looked down at his watch that he always wore on his left wrist.

"McGee! What are you doing here it is close to midnight? Why didn't you go home hours ago like the rest of your team?" Vance said as he began to walk toward McGee's desk.

Tim glanced up startled at the loud noise. "Director. I thought I was the only one here. I needed to finish this report and do the report about the case we completed earlier."

"Why not just wait until the morning?" Vance asked perplexed.

"It wouldn't be ready by the time Gibbs would want it. Plus, I don't have anything better to do." Tim responded sheepishly.

Vance looked at Tim closer and saw dark bags under his eyes. "McGee, you look like you haven't slept in a week. You must be tired. When was the last time you slept? Why would it matter if your reports is not ready first thing tomorrow? Dinozzo and David normally take a few days for them to be turned in. Also, what do you mean you have nothing better to do? It is midnight you should have something better to do than sit at your desk and work."

"I'm fine. Gibbs gives me that disappointed look if I don't have things done first thing and I can't stand that look. I don't anything better to do. If I went home, all I would be doing is play computer games." Tim responded, deliberately not answering Vance's first question.

"That fine but you shouldn't be working yourself into the ground. You didn't answer me- when was the last time you slept and how long do you normally sleep a night?" Vance asked after listening closely and thinking over Tim's response.

"Oh… Um… I…. Uh…." Tim stuttered thinking of a good answer to a question he knew would get him in trouble.

"Spit it out, McGee!" Vance yelled getting tired of the stutters.

"Um…. I last slept two days ago… and I normally only sleep two hours max every night…" Tim almost whispered out, trailing off at the end of the sentences.

"What? Why?" Vance questioned, very confused.

"Well… I am the one who writes the reports or searches leads on the computer and Gibbs wants them ready by morning. That normally takes me to around two in the morning. Then it takes me an hour to drive home, so I get home at three. I normally go straight to bed and wake up at five the next morning for a shower and breakfast, which takes me to six. Then I drive back here another hour to start work at seven." Tim summarized in a meek and tired tone.

"McGee, you can't do that it's not healthy or safe. That's it. You are spending the night at my house as I live five minutes from here and you are sleeping in late tomorrow. No buts McGee. I will tell Agent Gibbs in the morning about this and he will not be allowed to penalize you." Vance demanded.

"Sir, I don't want to impose and I must finish these reports." Tim protested as it was his nature to not want to be a bother.

"You are not imposing. I am demanding. Turn off your computer; the report will be there in the morning." Vance assured with a slight smile at his agents politeness and work-ethic.

"Are you sure?"

"McGee I am ordering you to do as I say." Vance said sternly.

"Yes, sir." Tim responded solemnly. With that, Tim saved his report, shut down his computer, and grab his things, before following the director to the elevators.

"You will be riding with me, McGee. I can't trust you behind the wheel after so long with no sleep and it will allow me to make sure you don't leave as soon as I turn my back. Don't even argue, I can tell you are about to, but don't." Vance said, not even glancing at his youngest agent.

"Yes, sir." Tim said dejectedly, before blushing as his stomach made a loud rumble.

At that the director did look at him. "We'll eat when we get to my house. Did you eat dinner or even lunch?"

Tim, who had been fighting to get his blush under control, blushed again. "We didn't have time to stop for lunch and I had to keep working and couldn't stop for dinner."

"You have to eat McGee. You are no use to me when you don't sleep or eat." Vance scolded.

"Yes, sir." Tim said yet again before the elevator doors opened and they stepped off in silence. Tim followed the director to his car and got into the passenger side. The drive went quickly and quietly with no complications.

When they arrived at the house, they got out of the car and walked to the front door which Vance unlocked. "Where are your children, director?" McGee asked with trepidation.

"With their grandparents. Now come to the kitchen and we can eat before going to bed. You can sleep on the sofa in the family room, if that is alright with you?"

"Of course, sir." They went to the kitchen and reheated some chicken that had been in the refrigerator.

After they finished eating, Vance ran upstairs and grabbed two blankets, a pillow, and a spare set of pajamas for Tim to use. He headed back down and handed them to his agent, who blushed when he say the PJs. "The bathroom is through that door," Vance said while pointing at a door, "You can sleep on that couch. I will leave you. See you in the morning. I will wake you so don't turn on a phone alarm. Good night." With that he went upstairs to go to bed himself.

Five minutes after heading up, he realized he left his phone on the counter and went back down to get it. He walked quietly, so that he didn't disturb Tim, in case he was already asleep. At the bottom of the stairs he peaked into the family room expecting to see Tim on the couch, but instead caught sight of Tim standing in his boxers pulling a shirt over his head, causing his muscles to move. 'Well he certainly is well built and quite cute.' Vance thought before blushing slightly realizing who he just thought it about. Vance quietly slipped away before he was spotted and embarrassed the young agent. 'I need sleep to clear the "bad" thoughts away.' Vance thought one last time before he got to his bedroom and collapsed into bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

By the time he fell asleep, Tim was already nestled into the soft blankets give to him by the director. 'I am going to need to sort out all these thoughts behind why the director is being so nice in the morning for now sleep is needed. Hopefully the nightmares remain at bay." Tim thought as he feel asleep.

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**Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Please review. Until next time but for now I need sleep (It is 220 am here). Bye. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is chapter two. I forgot to mention last chapter that Jackie Vance (Leon's wife) is dead at this point and it doesn't follow the plot line of the show (mostly because I haven't seen many of the newest episodes. Also Vance is 37 and McGee is 28. Disclaimer is the same as the first chapter.**

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At six in the morning, Vance's eyes shot open at the sound of the squealing alarm clock on his bedside table. His arm shot out to smack the alarm off, before returning to his face to rub his eyes clear of sleep. He sat up with a groan of annoyance. 'Ugh. I might as well get up and make some breakfast and check on McGee before hopping in the shower.' He thought as he got out of bed and walked down stairs. He went into the kitchen to cook some eggs, bacon, and toast. Once he finished, he went into the family room and saw Tim was already awake.

"McGee. I told you to sleep in. How long have you been awake?" Vance asked sternly.

Tim continued to look at the floor while he answered. "I woke up around four o'clock. I tried to go back to sleep but I couldn't." Once he finished saying that he looked at Vance, before blushing dark red and looking away again.

"Why couldn't you sleep and why wake up so early? Also, what's wrong McGee?" Vance asked startled by his reaction.

"You… uh… uh…" Tim said before just gesturing at Vance's chest, still not looking.

Vance looked down and saw he had forgotten to put on his shirt, as he didn't sleep in one and normally didn't put one on until after his shower. It was Vance's turn to blush this time. "Um… Sorry. I normally don't wear one in the morning until after my shower. I'll go put one on then we can finish this discussion and eat. Don't mention this to anyone at the office. In fact, don't mention the fact that you stayed here at all." With that said, Vance went upstairs and grabbed a t-shirt, which he slipped on before he headed back down stairs.

While he did that, Tim thought 'Wow! He is ripped. He hides almost a six pack and lots of muscles under those suits all day. I wonder if they feel as hard as they look." As soon as that thought passed, he clamped down on his thoughts and blushed hard again. He sat there trying to control his blush. Until he heard footsteps coming back down the stairs.

"Come on McGee, let's eat while we talk."

McGee followed Vance into the kitchen, finally reigning in his blush. He was handed a plate of food and gestured to sit at the table. Vance grabbed his food and sat at the table too before talking. "So, why couldn't you sleep and why did you wake up so early?"

"Um… I was woken by a nightmare and I couldn't fall asleep afterword." Tim responded embarrassedly.

"How often do you have these nightmares? Is that why you don't sleep that much on a daily bases and why you hadn't slept in two days?"

"I get them most nights and yes it is." Tim said hesitantly.

"Is it the same nightmare? Why haven't you spoken with a therapist? How long have you been getting these nightmares?"

"Yeah, it's the same. I have it just didn't help so I stopped. I've been getting them since I was fourteen. They normally come in waves with times where I don't have any and times where they are very bad."

"McGee… Tim, that's not health you have to talk to someone about this. Does any of your team or family about this?"

"No and they don't need to." Tim said forcefully. "I've gotten by this long. I don't need any help from anyone. Plus, who can I tell. Sarah doesn't talk to me since the time she thought she killed someone. Gibbs doesn't like weakness. Ziva and Tony will ridicule me. Admiral McGee, no, just no. I have got no one else, sir." Tim ended sounding defeated, but still remembered to be respectful.

"Tim, you can't keep this up. If you don't start sleeping more I'm going to have to suspend you or keep you on desk duty because you can't be 100% will little to no sleep. You need to talk to someone. You can talk to Dr. Mallard, Mr. Palmer, the NCIS therapist or me. I will make sure whatever you say to the therapist, if you chose that route, doesn't end up on your record. I can understand your hesitance but you need to talk to someone."

"I know. Can I… Can I talk to you, sir?" Tim asked hesitantly before rushing out the next sentence. "I don't want to have to tell anyone else about the nightmares and you already know. It's fine if not, sir. I don't want to be a bother."

"McGee! I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't fine with it." Vance's voice cut Tim off. "How about you come to my office briefly every day in the morning and we can talk through the nightmare quickly. Then on Mondays and Thursdays we can talk through them more thoroughly and you can just stay later in the mornings. I will tell Agent Gibbs that you are helping me with a favor and you be later on those days. We can start tomorrow as it is Thursday. Does that sound alright with you?"

"Yes, sir. That sounds fine. Are you sure Gibbs will be alright with this though?"

"Even if he is not, I will not allow him to penalize you."

With that the discussion ended and they finished eating. Vance let Tim use his son's shower, while Vance took one in his own. Tim put on his pants from the previous day and Vance loaned him a white shirt to use as an under shirt so that he could just wear the shirt he kept at the office. Once dressed they both grabbed their things and head to the car to go back to the office, where they went on the elevator to the floor with the bullpen. Once there they went their separate ways with just a parting glance.

Tim went to his desk and turned on his computer and started to work on the reports, while Vance went to his office and, after unlocking the door, sat down behind his desk with a sigh. 'How can so much change after just leaving the office one night?' Vance thought before he started to do the work that had piled on his desk.

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**Hope you enjoyed. Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the delay. I hope you enjoy. Disclaimer- I don't own anything.**

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As Tim worked, the others began to show up. "Probie! What are you wearing?" Tony said as he walked into the bullpen and put down his gear.

"What? Oh!" Tim asked confused until he looked down to see he forgot to put on his shirt. He quickly reached into his desk for his shirt and put it on as fast as he could. "It's nothing Dinozzo."

"Oh no, it's something. Anything happen last night, McLucky?" Tony asked as Tim buttoned his shirt.

"No nothing happened last night." Tim said at the same time as Ziva said, "Why is McGee lucky?"

"Nothing happened, I just didn't get a chance to do wash yesterday once I got home so I didn't have a shirt to wear." Tim said as soon as he thought up the excuse, trying to not look like he was lying. He knew that Tony was trained to spot a lie and Ziva was practically a lie detector, but he could not tell them about the deal with the director.

"McGee! Where are those report?" Gibbs yelled as he walk up to the bullpen.

"I… uh… Haven't had a chance to do it yet." Tim responded waiting for the fury that was Gibbs to rain down on him.

"Why haven't you done them yet?" screamed Gibbs.

"He was doing me a favor last night and I sent him home when he had finished." Vance said as he arrived in the bullpen after hearing Gibbs yell.

"Leon. You can't take my agents when they are supposed to be working." Snarled Gibbs in Vance's face.

"I didn't. I wait until after hours and asked him for assistance. In addition to that, he is my agent. I don't answer to you. He will finish his reports in the next few days and turn them in when he is done." Vance said sternly before nodding at McGee and walking away.

"McGee, with me." Gibbs said gritting his teeth. They walked to the elevator and got on, pushing a random button and hitting the emergency stop. "What the hell was that? Why did you help the director before finishing your reports?"

"It was late and he asked me to help. When I said that I was doing the reports he brought up the fact that it was after hours and said to either help or go home. I chose to help then he made me go home." McGee explained, sticking to the excuse the director had made up.

"You will have them done by the time you leave today or you can kiss you job goodbye. You already are in the red because of the reaction to Deep Six and because you messed up in Mexico. Don't mess up again." Gibbs said sternly before hitting the emergency switch again, starting the elevator, and head slapping McGee. Tim stood dumfounded, unable to respond.

When the elevator arrived at the bullpen, Gibbs stepped off as soon as the doors opened, leaving Tim standing for a few seconds, before he stepped off, too. Tim began to walk toward his desk when he felt himself being stared at and glanced up at the balconey outside the director's office. His eyes connected with Vance, who saw the confusion and depression in Tim's gaze, and shook his head, showing Vance to not interfere. After seeing this, Vance responded with a nod and returned to his office.

Remembering that he wanted to talk to Tim, he took out his cell phone and sent Tim a text, asking for him to come to Vance's office during his lunch break if he had one or after the rest of the team left.

A few minutes after Vance entered his office, Tim got a text from him, to which he responded that he would come up after work. Felling the glares from Gibbs, he quickly got back to work on the reports he owed Gibbs.

When lunch time came, he had finish the first report and was a third of the way through the second one. He knew he did not have time to eat lunch so he continues to work, while the others went out and got food. He went to grab a granola bar from the top drawer of his desk, but when he opened it he saw that they were gone. 'Damn it, Dinozzo! Stay out of my desk and keep your mitts off my food!' Tim thought infuriated, before going back to work.

At the end of the work hours, he finished working on the second report and turned both of them into Gibbs before sitting back at his desk, waiting for any orders. Gibbs looked around at the three of them, "Go home. Be back here at 0800 tomorrow. Except you, McGee. You be here at 0600 and work on cold cases until we get here. I expect you to buy breakfast tomorrow to and have it here at 0800."

"Yes, Boss." Tim said resigned to being the lackey for a while. When he said that the others packed up their gear and headed toward the elevator while he slowly packed up his gear. Once he was done, he waited until the door closed to head for the stairs going to the balcony and Vance's office. When he got to the outer doors he knocked and waited for Vance to allow him entry.

Vance smiled as he heard the tentative knock at his door and was glad that, while being around Gibbs, Tim did not acquire his manors and habit of barging in unannounced. "Come in." He waited until Tim had closed the door. "Hello, Tim."

"Hello, sir. What did you need?" Tim responded, slightly nervous.

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**Sorry again about the delay I have an online class this summer, so I will probably be slow to update in July, then I have marching band in August (though I will have some down time in which I can write). Then school starts back up, so I will try to update as much as possible.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome back. For those who read my other story, I haven't given up on it. I would like to address a review that I deleted but figured should still comment on. The guest complained about my grammar, my plot, and the characterization. I would like to say that I know I have made a few grammatical errors (I read the entire story every time I post a new chapter to make sure it still flows). I also know that the plot and how the characters act is different than the show but that is intentional. If anyone has any questions or concerns about the story feel free to PM me or leave a review (though I may delete it if it is entirely complaints, I will still read it). Any way now that that is said, on with the story. Disclaimer- Still don't own anything. Enjoy.**

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_Previously-_

_Vance smiled as he heard the tentative knock at his door and was glad that, while being around Gibbs, Tim did not acquire his manors and habit of barging in unannounced. "Come in." He waited until Tim had closed the door. "Hello, Tim."_

_"Hello, sir. What did you need?" Tim responded, slightly nervous._

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"I wanted to ask what happened earlier with Gibbs. You seemed shaken." Vance responded.

"It was nothing, sir." Tim responded too quickly, trying to prevent any further action that would more than likely cost him his badge.

"Certainly didn't seem like nothing. I could tell from the balcony that you were shaken. So, I will ask again and I expect a real answer, what happened?" Vance said sternly.

Tim could tell that there was no way out except for the truth. "Gibbs called me to follow him into the elevator and…" Tim told the director what happened, talking about everything from the threat to the reminders of the past. "Then he started the elevator back up, head slapped me, and left once the doors opened." Tim finished, looking away from the director and at the window over his shoulder.

"Tim. He doesn't have the authority to take your badge. What did he mean the reaction to your book and what exactly happened in Mexico that was your fault?"

"When the team found out about my book, they were extremely upset and the team didn't function very well in the aftermath of it. In Mexico, I was supposed to guard Abby and make sure she didn't leave the university, but she said she was going to do it either way, so I decided to go with her. We ran into the Cartel and I offered myself up to Paloma Reynosa in exchange for the safety of the others, but she let us all go. Gibbs was furious that I endangered Abby by not stopping her."

"Why was he so mad if you did everything you could?"

"I'm not sure. I think it was just because Abby was in danger."

"What book did you write? I don't think I have ever heard that story."

"Oh… Um… I wrote a book and when the team found out about they were furious because I based the characters on them." Tim responded embarrassed by having to tell Vance.

Vance was shocked. He knew that the man in front of him was smart and good at many things, but never expected that he was a published author as well. There was a few second of silence, "What is the book called?"

"Deep Six." Tim replied quietly, while looking down.

Vance stared. That was one of his favorite books. Thinking back, the names and accuracy of the plot made sense. "You're Thom E. Gemcity?"

Tim's head snapped up at that. "How did you know who wrote it? Have you read it?" Tim said as he began to blush at the thought of the director reading his book.

"Yes, I have read it. It is one of my favorite books. If I had known you wrote it, I would have had you signed my copy of it the first day I met you." Vance smirked as he say Tim blush more at those words. "But I digress, are you still going to be fine meeting tomorrow morning?"

"Um. No, I can't. Gibbs told me to come in at six and work on cold case and buy breakfast and have it on their desks at eight, it is my turn to buy. I will be leaving to go home in a few hours probably, so that I can get a bit of sleep before getting up an hour early."

Vance glanced at his watch and saw that it was already past seven. "Why are you going to be staying for a few hours? The rest of your team is already gone."

"Gibbs is angry enough. If I don't show any progress on the cold cases by the time he gets in tomorrow he will be furious."

"Have you eaten since breakfast?" Vance asked suspicious.

"Well… Uh… No. I didn't have time to stop for lunch and I came here straight after the others left." Tim said embarrassed again.

"Why didn't you stop for a snack during lunch?"

"I didn't have any cash for the vending machines and the granola bars I keep in my desk were gone." Tim said the second part bitterly, making Vance realize that he knew exactly what happened to his snacks.

"Well how about this. You go shut down your stuff and meet me back here, we can drive over to my house and eat. Then I will drive you to your apartment so you can grab an outfit for tomorrow and a pair of pajamas. Then you come back to my house and spend the night so that in the morning we can talk about your nightmares before coming into work. Does that sound like a plan?"

Tim was yet again stunned. "But, sir, I don't want to be a burden. I will be fine on my own."

Vance shook his head. "No, I insist. Plus, I'm not sure how much I trust you behind the wheel with four hours of sleep and no food since breakfast. You aren't a burden, Tim. I want to help you out."

"If you are sure, sir." Tim said. "I will go grab my things and will come back here." Vance responded with a nod and Tim left. 'Why is the director helping me so much? I don't want to burden him with my problems, but he seems adamant that he will help me. And he knows about my books. Ugh I was hoping he'd never find out.' Tim thought as he grabbed his book bag and shut down his computer.

Tim turned around with a sigh and headed back up the stairs to the director's office again. 'Time to start to get prepared for what will be a tiring morning tomorrow.' Tim thought when he walked back into the director's office and looked at the man for more instruction.

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**Well that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed and please respond by review or PM. Any suggestions are welcome. It is now time for bed because I have to be up early tomorrow. Good night everyone. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, y'all. Feel free to skip this A/N unless you want to hear why I haven't updated in a bit. Sorry about the delay in writing but I have been busy recently (this is the first night I get to sleep in my bed since Thursday). On Thursday, I went 3 hours north (supposed to be 2 but traffic was a nightmare as it always is) to my grandma's house, then 3 hours home, then 2 hours to the beach (this was all on one day). I stayed there until Sunday when I came back for 2 hours (I drove; I only have a permit right now, though I am about to get my license) to my house, then went 2 hours to my sister's university. Then on Monday, I went 2 hours to my brother's university to help him move from one apartment to a new one. Then today I finally came 4 hours home. So… yea that's what I have been up to. Plus my online class still runs for another 3 weeks, give or take. Anyway that's the reason why if anyone cares. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Disclaimer I don't own anything. **

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As Tim entered the office, Vance looked up and smiled. "You ready to go?" asked Vance, even though it was plain to see that he was.

"Yes, sir."

"Alright. Let me just grab my things." As Vance said that, he grabbed his SIG from the desk drawer, along with his badge and cell phone, and clipped them on his belt. Grabbing his briefcase and keys, he gestured for Tim to proceed him and closed and locked his office after he left it. They walked down the stairs and to the elevator, before going to the ground floor and leaving the building to get in Vance's car.

Vance drove, occasionally glancing at the silent passenger. "Are you fine with just eating some fast food tonight?"

"Of course, sir." Tim responded, not hesitating at all.

"Let's stop at Wendy's and eat in the car on the way to your apartment. That way we can get to my house sooner." Vance glanced at Tim to see if he protested, but Tim's face did not show any annoyance at the suggestion.

"Whatever you want to do, sir."

"Tim. You don't have to just agree with me. You can suggest something else if you'd rather."

"I know but it is fine, really."

"If you say so." Vance said as he pulled into the drive-through. "What do you want?"

"Just a cheeseburger, please."

"Hi. Can I get two cheeseburgers, please?" Vance said to the microphone.

"Yes, that will be $4.78. Pull up to the next window." the speaker said crackly.

Vance pulled up to the next window and pulled a five dollar bill from his wallet, handing it over to the worker when they appeared at the window. He accepted his change and, after a minute, their food, before he pulled out and headed in the direction of Tim's apartment.

Vance handed Tim his burger, before eating his. Tim starred at it for a minute before opening it and eating, too. "You didn't have to pay for me, sir." Tim said after he had swallowed his first bite.

"It was only a few dollars. Calm down, McGee. While I may not make as much as you, being a novelist and all, I do still make enough to cover those $2 for you." Vance said with a smirk, as he glanced over and say Tim blush again at the reminder of his book. Vance chuckled. "Why do you keep reacting to the mention of that book?"

"When it came out, I wasn't expecting it to be a success, but it turned out to be a bestseller. I managed to hide it from the team because Tony and Gibbs don't read and Ziva and the other don't read those books, but one case involved my sister and she brought it up. After they found out they hounded me relentlessly, actually causing me to get hurt on a few occasions. They hated me. Then, while I was writing the second book, Rock Hollow, a series of murders happened as a result of it. They have mostly let it go but still sometimes bring it up."

"They hurt you on account of a fictional book you wrote?"

"They weren't really trying to, but I did end up hurt a few times…" Tim said as they pulled into his apartment complex. Vance parked and they got out of the car. Not knowing where to go, Vance followed Tim up three flights of stairs and into one of the apartments when Tim unlocked a door.

Vance followed Tim inside while taking a cursiory look around, only to hear a loud bark and the sound of nails hitting the hardwood floor. He glanced up just in time to see Tim get slammed by a large German Shepard. "Hey, Jet. Did you miss me? I bet you did. Did Mrs. O'Brien take good care of you last night?"

"I sure did, Tim." said someone from the door way, causing the startled agent and director to reach for their guns on their hips before Tim realized it was just was just his fifty-something year old neighbor.

"Thank you for your help. I have been busy with work and my coworker here offered to let me spend the night last night and tonight because he lives closer to the navy yard. I hope he behaved for you?"

"Of course he did. You know Tim I am always happy to help. I will take him on a walk in the morning for you and make sure he has food. Have a nice time at work, though if you ask me you work too hard."

"Thanks. Good night, Mrs. O'Brien." Tim said with a smile, before turning and grabbing a few things he needed. Suring this whole exchange, Vance stood there slightly puzzled. He walked further into the apartment and looked around the living room. He saw the book lined shelves and the type writer as well as the record collection.

"Is this where you wrote Deep Six?" Vance called out, running a finger on the desk in front of him, picturing Tim sitting at it, writing with a record in the background and his dog at his feet.

"Yes."

"Are you going to publish the second book, the one you mentioned, Rock Hollow?"

There was a long pause, which caused Vance to turn and look into the bedroom. "I'm not sure."

"Why wouldn't you the first one was such a success?"

"The team's reaction and the fact that it led to the murder of multiple people."

"Well you should think about it."

"I am." Tim said before they both lapsed back into silence. Tim finished packing a bag and filled Jet's food and water bowls before petting him. Both the NCIS personnel left and drove back to Vance's house in silence, entertained by their own thoughts. As they pulled into Vance's driveway, they did not notice the empty car across the street, but as soon as they entered the house they heard the joyful shouts of kids as they racing towards the door.

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**I'm going to end it there. I will probably write one chapter tomorrow. I've had some tiring days these past few (especially because I had to essentially sleep on a very cold concert floor at my brother's apartment with my other brother kicking me in his sleep). I had to wake up early (well early for me anyway) these past days too so I probably going to bed. Good night (or Good morning or Good afternoon depending on where you live). I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Bye, y'all!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again guys. So I had to post 21 assignment this week for my online class and I finished the last one with around 30 seconds to spare, my accomplishment for the day. Thanks for all the kind words via various reviews. Sorry about not posting when I said I would, my mother got on my case about not doing my assignments and my sister came for a short visit.**

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_Preveously:_

_"I am." Tim said before they both lapsed back into silence. Tim finished packing a bag and filled Jet's food and water bowls before petting him. Both the NCIS personnel left and drove back to Vance's house in silence, entertained by their own thoughts. As they pulled into Vance's driveway, they did not notice the empty car across the street, but as soon as they entered the house they heard the joyful shouts of kids as they racing towards the door._

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"DADDY!" a little girl's voice joyfully yelled as she rounded the corner.

"DAD!" a boy's voice sounded as he ran slightly slower than his sister into the room.

"Hey, Kayla, Jared." Vance said with a smile while picking up Kayla.

"Daddy, I got an A on my spelling test!" Kayla said with a huge grin.

"That's great, sweetie." Vance said before glancing at Tim, who was just standing off to the side nervously. "Guys, I want you to meet Special Agent Tim McGee. He is one of the agents who works with Gibbs. He is going to spend the night here tonight because he lives far away and has to go to work early tomorrow. Tim, this is Jared and Kayla." Vance gestured to Tim while introducing him, then each kid as he said their name.

"It's nice to meet you guys." Tim said quietly with a small smile, though he still looked nervous.

As he said that an older lady entered the room. "Leon, what took you so long? I was just about to call your phone."

"Sorry, mom. I forgot you were bringing them back today. We had to run to Tim's apartment and grab some things for tomorrow. This is Tim McGee, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Agent McGee. I am Katelyn Vance." said Vance's mother while sticking out her hand to shake.

"Pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Vance." Tim responded with a pleasant smile. "Your son is one of the greatest men I have ever had the pleasure of working with." When he said that Vance blushed a bit.

"Yes, Leon has become a great man. Please call me Katie." the newly dubbed Katie said with a smile before turning back to her son. "Well now that you are here, I will be heading home. Call me if you need someone to babysit again or when they can come over again."

"Yes, mom. Good bye." Vance said as his mom turned to leave.

"Good bye everyone. It was nice meeting you, Tim." said Katie over her shoulder.

"You too. Goodbye." Tim responded with a small wave.

"Bye grandma." The children said in sync as the door was closed.

"Daddy. Can you help me with my math homework? There were a few questions I'm not sure about." Kayla asked after turning back to her father.

"Yea dad can you also help me with my science homework?" Jared asked.

Vance cringed a bit, which Tim saw. "I'm not sure how much I can help. I've never been very good with math or science."

"I can do it. If that is alright with you director?" Tim blurted out.

"Of course. You would be more help than I would, given your degrees." Vance responded as he set Kayla back on her feet. He looked down at his kids. "Tim will help you with your homework. He is a scientist."

Kayla reached over and grabbed Tim's arm and started to pull him in the direction of the kitchen. "Come on, Agent Tim. You can help us in the kitchen."

Once they were seated at the table both handed over their homework and he read it over. "Oh this won't be too hard to explain." he said before explaining how to do everything they were having trouble with. Once he was finished, Kayla hugged him and thanked him before heading to bed, while Jared just said thanks and followed his younger sister.

Once they had left, Vance came into the room. "Thanks for helping explaining that. You sound like you have done that before."

"When I was growing up, I had to explain things to Sarah. Then in college, people always came to me for help. Now, I tutor people when I am not working, especially on the weekends. Tony always made fun of my helping of various clubs, like the boys and girls club and various troops, but one of the main things I do is tutor. I only sometimes go on the camping trips and other events, but I have become the tutor and confident of the kids."

"You work a full time job with very odd hours and write novels and still find time to help children in your off hours?" Vance asked astounded.

"I want to give those children a better chance at a good life and the best way to do that is just being there for them." Tim looked away and sounded far away from the present discussion, like he was remembering the past.

"You were one of those children who did not have a great chance, weren't you?" Vance asked sadly. He had always thought that of the MCRT, Tim was the one with the best childhood, but the more he learned about him, the more he found himself to be wrong.

Tim looked back over at Vance. "Yes… Yes I was."

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will try to update again in the next few days, maybe even again today. Sorry about the semi-cliffhanger and about the slightly short chapter. Bye y'all. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again my fellow fanfiction readers and writers. I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Disclaimer- this is not beta'd and I don't own anything.**

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After hearing Tim's admittance, Vance silently reached across the table and put his hand on Tim's shoulder for support. "You made it and became a great man, no matter what the circumstances were. You succeeded. Now you help other kids succeed. Always remember that, remember those you help, those you have saved."

Tim's eyes started to water. "I haven't been able to save them all. Some still fall through the cracks. You know those days I ask for the day off? Th- Tho-Those are the days they s-slip. I always try to help but sometimes I can't." Tim had tears streaming down his cheeks and was choking on sobs

By this point, Vance had stood and walked over behind Tim and pulled him into a hug. "Tim. Whatever they did wasn't your fault. Sometimes there is nothing you can do. You tried to help them and that is what matters most." Vance took Tim's face in his hands and used his thumbs to wipe the tears away. "You tried your best, on top of a job you do to protect the nation. You do all can."

Tim sobbed into Vance's shoulder, grabbing on to his shirt and curled it into his fists. Vance just wrapped his arms around Tim again, tighter this time. "I-I couldn't save them. Nick… O-Olivia…. Campbell… S-S-Sophia… Tom… Jeremy… I couldn't save them. I-I couldn't save them…." Tim continued to say that, getting softer each time and sobbing slowly subsiding as he continued to hide his face in Vance's shoulder, tears still falling.

"Tim. Think of those you have saved, those you have helped. Think of them. The ones who have a better chance at life because of you." Vance urged into Tim's ear, still holding him tightly.

After a few minutes, Tim went limp in his arms, exhausted. Vance continued to cradle him for a few more minutes before Kayla walked into the room to get some water. She stopped when she saw the position they were in. "Kayla. I need you to go get Jared. I need his help getting Tim to the couch. He has had a rough night." Vance whispered. Kayla nodded her head before turning around and ran up the stairs to get her brother.

Seconds later he heard two sets of footsteps going down the stairs and both children came into the room. "Jared. Help me bring him into the family room and get him onto the couch. Just grab his left arm and I'll get his right." Jared nodded and grabbed the arm. Between the two of them, they were able to half carry, half drag Tim into the other room and maneuver him onto the couch. Kayla grabbed the blanket from the other sofa and put it onto Tim, tucking him in.

"Thanks for the help. I'm going to call Dr. Mallard to come over and check on him. You two can go to bed." Vance said with a sigh.

"Daddy? Is he going to be alright?" Kayla asked, scared of her new favorite agent being hurt.

"Physically, yes. Mentally, I'm not sure. He helps kids in his off time and sometimes bad things happen to those kids and it hurts him. Just like it would hurt me if either of you two get hurt." Vance said as he was always truthful with his kids, before bending down and hugging both tightly. "Thanks guys I needed that. Now I need to call Dr. Mallard. Goodnight. I love you."

"Love you too, Daddy." Kayla said softly, mindful of the sleeping man in the room, and hugged Vance again.

"Goodnight. Love you too, dad." Jared responded, before leading his younger sister away with an arm around her shoulder, looking very much like the overprotective older brother he was.

Vance grabbed his phone from the other room, where he had set it earlier before any of this blew up. He called Ducky and waited a few seconds. Ducky answered on the second ring. "Hello." Ducky said in a pleasant tone, Scottish accent as prevalent as ever.

"Dr. Mallard. I need a favor. Are you busy tonight?" Vance asked tiredly, the day's events wearing on him.

"No. I was just reading a book. Are you alright? You sound exhausted."

"That's because I am. Can you come to my house? I will explain everything when you get here, but I need you to check up on Tim McGee, so bring your medical bag."

"Timothy is at your house I take it?"

"Yes."

"Alright I will be there is five to ten minutes." With that, Ducky hung up.

Vance sighed and sat on the couch opposite of the one holding Tim. He started to go over the conversation in his head. 'If every day he has asked off has been for one of the kids, then that is around something happening once every two months. Have the kids been killing themselves or have they been attempting to or what? What has happened to those kids he mentioned? Nick, Olivia, Campbell, Sophia, Tom, and Jeremy. What happened to those kids?' He continued to think about the possibilities when he heard the telltale signs of the vintage Morgan that no doubt belonged to Ducky. Vance stood and walked to the door so he could open it before Ducky knocked.

"Hello, Dr. Mallard. Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"It was no problem Director. Though I must insist that you call me Ducky. Where is young Timothy and what happened to him?"

"He is asleep in the family room. He exhausted himself from talking about a hard topic and I wanted to make sure that was the only reason he practically passed out."

"Of course. Please show the way, sir." Ducky followed the director into the house and into the room with their sleeping friend.

Ducky took one look at Tim and started his exam. "Oh Timothy. What has happened to you this time, my dear boy?" He said while taking his blood pressure.

While Ducky started his exam Vance went to the kitchen to get the doctor and himself something to drink. He walked back into the room with two cups of tea. "Well doctor, is he alright?"

"He is asleep right now and whatever that conversation was had no lasting effects on him but there is a problem."

"What's that doctor?"

"He has some old injuries."

"Old injuries? From what?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it was a case."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because he has numerous scars on his body, I'm not sure what from though, and was... um…"

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Well…" Ducky took a deep breath. "It appears that he was shot."

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**Yet again I must apologize about the slight delay. I hope you enjoyed the sadness that was this chapter. I will write again soon, I hope.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again. Thank you everyone for the kind words in the reviews. I am glad you guys are enjoying the story, I know I am enjoying writing it. Now to address some of the questions and comments in the reviews.**

**Luvable- The reason Jared seems reluctant to show his emotions is because he is at that age when he is more reserved and less likely to show his emotions. Jared does understand the situation and has no problem with Tim he is just a bit shy and doesn't know Tim all that well.**

**BloodWolf83- I'm making sure I don't over do it. Though I do need to fix my sleep cycle because right now I'm going to bed at 5 in the morning and waking up at 1 in the afternoon. I can't exactly do that anymore because marching band camp starts soon and I have to be ready to work at 7:30 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon.**

**Sarcastic-5ever- Your questions will be answered in this chapter.**

**Everyone else- thanks for all the words of encouragement. **

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"Shot? How is that possible and us not know about it? How old is the wound? Where is the wound?" the director's words tumbled out of his mouth in a flurry of confusion and sadness. His entire view of the man had changed and he had no idea how much more it would before this was all over.

"Yes. He has a scar on his abdomen area that is indicative of a gunshot wound. The wound itself is completely healed and appears to be very old, probably before he ever started at the agency, which would also explain why we were never aware of it. I don't think there has ever been a time that I saw him with his shirt off in all the times I have been examining him, which leads me to believe he is used to covering it and hiding its very existence." Ducky answered while thinking of all his past interactions with the man.

"He joined the agency when he was twenty-one. How could he have been shot before that? What about the other scars? When are they from?"

"They appear to be from various times. Most are healed. A few are mostly healed. Some are mostly faded. Some are deep. Some are shallow. Some are jagged. Others are straight lines. All of that leads me to believe that they have happened over the majority of his life. He has probably had to get stiches for quite a few of them."

"There has never been an incident report that has involved him in any of the case reports about the cases they have handed in. There have been a few for DiNozzo and one or two for David, but none for Tim, which I always found odd."

"How can there not have been? I was with them a few time that something happened that would have warranted an incident report. I am not sure why there wouldn't be. I have treated all of the team multiple times for various injuries sustained during crime scene searches and suspect take downs."

"I'm not sure either but I damn well am going to find out. What can I do for Tim tonight? Just let him sleep, I'm guessing?"

"Has he already eaten?"

"Yes."

"Then just let him sleep tonight. Hopefully whatever it is you two talked about doesn't give him nightmares. If that is all I should be getting home to get some rest for work tomorrow. Call me if there is any issues tonight."

"Alright. Thank you again, doctor. I will see you at work tomorrow."

"Good bye, sir. It was no trouble at all." With that Ducky took one last look at Tim and left the house with a parting nod.

While Vance listened to the Morgan start up and leave, he sat back on the couch opposite Tim and put his head in his hands. 'How could this happen to an agent?' Vance looked back up at Tim and saw a crease beginning to form between his eyebrows and a frown marring his face. Tim began to twitch slightly and a tiny whimper escaped his lips. 'He must be having a nightmare. Should I wake him or try and let him just work through it?' The choice was taken out of his hands when Tim's eyes suddenly snapped open and his whole body jerked, causing him to fall on the floor, hard.

"Tim! are you ok?" Vance asked startled.

"What? Where am I?" Tim asked confused, still half in his nightmare and not very aware of his surroundings.

Vance made his way over to where Tim was. "Tim. You are in my house remember? You were staying over and fell asleep. You just woke up from a nightmare. You're alright. It was just a nightmare." Vance helped Tim sit up, with his back leaning against the couch and legs stretched out, still on the floor.

"Director?"

"Yes, Tim. It was just a nightmare. It's alright."

Tim started to become more aware of everything. "Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to keep you from sleeping because of a nightmare."

"It is fine, Tim. I wasn't planning to be in bed yet anyway. Do you want to talk about the nightmare now or would you rather do it in the morning?"

"I would rather do it then, sir. It is too fresh right now."

"That's fine. You should know I called Dr. Mallard over when you passed out earlier and had him examine you."

"What? No, I was fine, you didn't need to do that and take him away from whatever he was doing this evening."

"Tim. He was fine with doing it, but he saw some things when he was examining you." Vance informed Tim in a concerned voice.

"What did he see?" Tim said nervously, hoping the answer would be different than what he thought it would be.

"He saw a large number of old injuries, including a gunshot wound and numerous other scars. The odd thing is none of the incident reports ever submitted by your team ever mention you getting hurt. Also, your file does not mention a gunshot wound anywhere in it. Care to explain why you have no reports of injuries when you clearly got them?" Vance's response was exactly what Tim was dreading.

"They were not obtained on the job."

"For some reason I find that hard to believe. Either you are the clumsiest person ever, though only in your off hours, or you haven't been filing the incidents for some reason. In addition to that, all prior injuries that could have affected work were to be written in your file when you were hired, but there is no mention of a gunshot wound."

"It did not affect my work. I don't have to tell you anything."

"You're right, you don't but Tim I am asking you as a friend not as a boss. Please let me help you. I already told you I would talk to you about your nightmares, let me help you with this too. Please, Tim. I need to know how you got those scars and when you were shot." Vance was practically begging by the end of it. He was scared something was going to happened to Tim if he did not get help.

"Why do you care so much, sir? I'm just another one of your agents." Tim looked down at his hands, which were in his lap.

"No you're more than that. You are a brilliant young man who has a heart of gold. You help anyone you can and are a damn good agent." Vance was still kneeling next to Tim, who was still sitting on the floor, and grabbed Tim's chin to pull it up so he could look into his eyes. "Tim. You are special. You have apparently been through hell and still can get up every day and help people. Now let me help you for once."

"Alright… I'll tell you… but you can't do anything to the people I tell you about. Promise me you won't do anything."

"Tim, if someone hurt you they need to be punished." Vance responded confused.

"No. It is in the past and I can handle it. Just promise me you won't do anything. That you won't fire anyone or anything like that."

"Wait. I knew some of this happened at work, but you're telling me that a fellow agent did some of this to you?"

"Not really, but promise me."

"Fine I promise I won't fire anyone… but I will reserve the right to talk to them about whatever they did if I feel the need because I can't have agents hurting each other."

Tim sighed, he know there was no changing that part of the deal. "Fine…" Tim trailed off and gathered his thoughts before he started the tale that was his life.

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**Alright that seems like a good place to end it. The next chapter will be him telling Vance. I hope you enjoyed it. I'll update again soon. Goodbye.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I felt like writing more so here is the next chapter. I need to give a special thanks to Crawcolady for allowing me to use part of Aloha NCIS as an idea for my story. I'll tell you which part at the end of the chapter so that I don't ruin the surprise. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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"Well… Where should I start?" Tim asked nervously.

"Just start at the beginning. We may want to move to actually be sitting on the couch rather than the floor." Tim nodded in agreement, while Vance stood and offered his hand to Tim. Tim looked up at Vance's face as he grabbed the offered hand and was hauled up.

"Thanks. Well I guess a good place to start is when I was fourteen." Tim paused to take a breath.

"Isn't that when the nightmares started?"

"Yes it is. I lived with my parents and my younger brother and sister." Tim took another deep breath while Vance tried to process the fact that he had a brother. He had known about the sister but he had never heard a mention of a brother. "My dad was in the Navy, still is, and was deployed for a few months. I was in boy scouts and had meetings on a weekly bases. My brother, Nick, was in the same troop as I was and my mother was taking us to the meeting for. We lived in Bethesda, Maryland but the meeting was in Northwestern DC. We were driving to the meeting and were stopped at a stop light when three men rushed the car with guns. They shot my mother in the head and my brother who was sitting shotgun in the chest. Then one of them shot me in the stomach. Once he shot me they all ran off. Some passersby called 911 and they got there in about five minutes. My mom was DOA, but they rushed my brother and me to the hospital. They lost me once on the way there and lost my brother twice, but were able to get us back. Once we got there we were both sent straight to surgery. My brother died in surgery. He had lost too much blood; apparently the bullet nicked an artery in his chest. I managed to make it, obviously. My bullet punctured a lung, put a hole in my intestine and stomach, and broke a rib because of how it hit. Both holes got patched up, the rib got reset, and the lung was healed. I was in the hospital for a week and a half before I got released. I had to go back a few days later for an infection though, which took another week to get over, then I was released again. Now, I only have nightmares to remind me of any of it." Tim finished with a deep breath that he released with a slight sob.

"My god Tim." Vance said, before leaning over and pulling Tim into a hug. "Did they ever catch the assailants or figure out why they did it?"

"My dad pissed someone off, causing him to lose their job and his wife to leave him with their kids, and they retaliated by hiring people to kill the family. They didn't figure out who the three were until they had killed another person. One of the three confessed being hired by the guy my dad pissed off. The three were sentenced to life without parole for three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. The guy who hired them was sentenced to two counts of being an accessory to murder and a few other charges like that."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Did you have any lasting effects from the gunshot, other than the nightmares?"

"Yea. It can still be tender and it used to be hard to do anything athletic but that has dissipated over the years. Plus, it left a pretty bad scar, which people always cringe at, though it is better than the alternative." Tim laughed slightly, though it had no humor in it. "The bullet is still in there. They thought it was better to not remove it because it ended up near my spine."

"My god. Does any of your team know?"

"No and, just like with the nightmares, they don't need to know."

"Do you want to stop for the night or do you want to talk about some of your other scars?" Vance asked concerned for his agent and friend's mental health.

"We can continue. I'm going to skip over most of the other ones, but I'll tell you the easy ones to get out because they happened at work, just remember that you can't punish the others. Well one I have on my leg is from where I hit it when I was thrown around in the back of the van in the fallout from my book. Ziva was driving and since the back of the van doesn't have seatbelts, I got thrown into the wall of the van, which had the metal shelves for storing the crime scene supplies. One of the sharp edges of the shelves dug into my shin and broke the skin causing a pretty bad cut. When we got back the HQ, I went down to autopsy and had Ducky clean it and put butterfly bandages on it. It was bad enough to scar and did." Tim looked over at Vance and saw the anger in his gaze. He had never been gladder to not have that anger directed at him. The stories of Vance's temper were infamous. "I'm fine now, just another scar to add to the collection."

When Tim said that, Vance's eyes snapped to Tim. "You can't be serious! She hurt you badly and you seem fine with it! You should be furious. I'm guessing Gibbs never did anything about it. Please, tell me that is the worst injury you received on the job."

"No. He never found out about it, I don't think. And No, that's not the worst injury I've gotten from work."

"Well what is? Let me see the scars from that." said a still angry Vance.

"Uh… Are you sure? They're pretty bad…" said a very nervous and worried Tim.

"Yes. I am positive. I need to see what you have been through." Vance had not seen them when Ducky was looking at them because he was in the other room and did not want to intrude.

"Alright don't say I didn't warn you." Tim stood turned so his back was facing so that Vance didn't have to see the scars right away, though there were a fair number on his back too. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off, first displaying his back to Vance, who was stunned by the sight of it. Tim then slowly turned so Vance could see his chest, though his face was beet red. Vance stared at the scars before rising haltingly. He made his way to where Tim was standing and stopped a foot from him. He raised his hand and gently traced the scars on the muscular chest.

"Many of these are a result of a bomb…" Tim whispered calmly. "We were standing by our car about twenty feet from the house getting ready to raid the house, when it blew. We were blown back and shrapnel pelted us. Tony was knock unconscious, Ziva had long cuts on her arm, and Gibbs had a few small cuts on his arms. Gibbs saw the state the other two were in, put them in the car, told me to secure the scene, and drove off. What he didn't see was that I had glass, chunks bricks, and pieces wood in chest and arms. I did my best to secure the scene and waited for help because the area didn't have cell service. After an hour, a state trooper showed up because he was doing his route and saw the house from the road. He hadn't seen me until he was at the house but immediately radioed for backup and an ambulance. He also had them call in Balboa's team. The ambulance took me to the hospital and spent the next few hours removing shrapnel from me. The next day, I called into work and spent the day resting and recovering. Gibbs never did find put this had happened."

"Which scars are from that?" Vance responded never taking his eyes off of Tim's chest.

Tim pointed to multiple jagged ones all over his chest. As Tim pointed Vance ran a finger over each one, trying to take in the magnitude of what he had just been told. Once Tim had pointed at the last one, he took a step back and began putting back on his shirt. The second Tim had stepped back, Vance copied him and went and sat back down on the couch. "How could this happen and no one know about it?" Vance said as he put his head in his hands

"It happened because I didn't want anyone to know about it." Tim responded simply before taking a seat once again.

Once he said that, Vance turned his head back to Tim. "Why didn't you want anyone to know?"

"Because they would have found out about the others and eventually everything else and I couldn't have them think I'm weak."

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**The part that Crawcolady allowed me to use as an inspiration was the part about the bomb. So thank you very much for that. I would like to apologize if Tim seemed a little heartless when talking about the past. It is just that it was if happened 14 years ago. It still affects him, he just was able to talk about it without breaking down. Also if Vance seems a little odd it is because he does care about Tim and likes him, just wait a bit longer and it will become more prevalent. Plus, he had thought that Tim had the best life in the MCRT and this shocked him and led him to act different. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to PM me or leave a review. Also don't always expect chapters quite this long.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello my fellow fanfiction readers and writers. I apologize profusely for the delay in writing this. The main reason for the delay is the fact that marching band has begun. I just finished my two weeks of band camp which were some of the most tiring days I had ever been through. On Friday after practice I had to do the ALS Ice bucket challenge, which was not fun. School is going to start up next week so chances are I may be even slower in updating (though I will have one period every other day that I won't be doing anything). Thanks for the support in the form of reviews. Disclaimer- I don't own anything and this is unbeta'd**

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Vance sat stunned at simple declaration. "Why would they think that?"

"They find any injury as a sign of weakness. They would mock they fact that I hadn't gotten over the deaths of my mother and brother even after fourteen years. They would chain me to my desk more than they already do because they would realize I am a liability." Tim stated with so much conviction that it left Vance dumbfounded for a second before his facial features turned into granite.

"Do not talk like that again. The fact that you survived doesn't mean you're weak, it means you are so strong. The fact that you suffered a great tragedy and can still go to work every day and work some of the goriest and most gruesome cases shows how strong you are. The fact that it did not leave you bitter and jaded shows that you are strong. You an experienced agent who has suffered in the past and doesn't let it affect your daily life, it doesn't make you a liability, and it just shows your strength and makes you more of an asset." Vance said this in a firm tone that had him being stared at by a wide-eyed Tim. Vance could tell that no matter how much he talked he would not be able to change his agent's mind completely that night but the look on Tim' face showed that he would be able to get through to him at some point. "I know I'm not going to be able to change your mind tonight; you have been thinking these things too long to be changed in one night, but can you please come to me if you ever get injured on the job or off? I know you don't want to go to your team but if you come to me I can help, will you do that?"

Tim stared into Vance's eyes, trying to discern the true intent behind the request. Finding no ill will or malice in the gaze, Tim nodded. "Yes, sir. If something happens I will tell you."

"Good." They continued to stare into each other's eyes for a few minutes after the agreement was made. They were entrapped by the trust and other hidden emotions swirling in the other's eyes. This continued until Vance's watched beeped loudly, exclaiming the start of a new hour. With the moment broken, Tim looked away with a slight blush marring his cheeks and Vance looked down at his watch to see it was one in the morning. "We should get to bed, it's one right now. Are you going to be able to sleep tonight?"

"For a little while, yea, probably. If I wake up, I probably won't be able to fall back asleep. I'll be fine, sir. I have dealt with this for the past fourteen years, it's nothing new."

"Ok. Just try to sleep. If you need anything my room is the first one on the right once you get to the top of the stairs. Good night, Tim." Vance said as he turned his back so that he could leave the room.

"Good night, sir."

"Oh and Tim? Call me Leon when we're not with coworkers." Vance said while he glanced over his shoulder.

"Yes, sir- I mean Leon." Tim responded with another slight reddening of his cheeks, while he mentally cursed his traitorous skin for changing colors. Vance gave a slight smile before leaving the room to get ready for bed.

Tim grabbed his clothes and toothbrush and went to the bathroom to quickly get changed and brush his teeth. Once finished he returned to the couch, sat down, took a deep breath and slowly released it, before laying down and closing his eyes with a mental plead to no one for no dreams.

But no matter the pleading, dreams still came. His mind played his brother's and mother's death like a movie, it being already too horrible to need any changes to make it terrifying. Once that part of the dream was done, it jumped to his dog attacking him, trying to tear out his throat, while his team stood by laughing. Then it switched to the explosion and the pain, only the police officer never showed up and he was just left waiting in a haze of pain. Suddenly the scene changed once more to when he shot the undercover cop. The sound of the gunfire jolted him from his rest.

Tim slowly sat up on the couch and glanced at his watch. '4:55. It's almost time to wake up anyway.' He sat on the sofa deep in thought, trying to figure out what his feelings were for the director. He was confused because no one had helped him before and now Leon (it felt weird to him to even think that name) was helping him. In addition to that, Leon (still weird) had comforted him and held him. Tim went red as he remembered the strong arms that had wrapped around him and the firm chest he had been held against.

After five minutes of thinking about this he heard an alarm go off from above him followed by a muffled curse and groan that made him smile. 'Apparently the supposed hard ass director doesn't like early mornings.' Tim thought with an amused smirk playing on his face. He heard another groan and curse followed by footsteps that were headed toward the stairs.

As Vance slowly made his way down the stairs yawning, he saw Tim sitting on the couch looking at him with the smirk still firmly in place. Vance sneered at him and growled. "I need coffee. It's too damn early."

Tim started to chuckle before following Vance into the kitchen. "Um… Sir?" Vance glared at him. "Uh. I mean Leon. You aren't wearing a shirt again…"

"Deal with it. It's too early for me to care right now." Vance responded. He was not self-conscious at all. He knew he was in good shape and didn't really care who saw him shirtless. "Just don't mention it at the office. Though that would create some rather interesting rumors. The Team Gibbs computer geek seeing the hard ass director shirtless. Maybe I should mention it just to see what happens." Vance was getting much friendlier now that he had coffee in his system.

"Or not… That would not be fun if the team heard about it."

"True. Well I'm headed to take a shower. You can take one in the same one you did yesterday if you want."

"Thanks."

With that they both went upstairs. Tim was in front of Vance and was ignorant to the stares his boss was giving to his ass. Vance tried to look at something else but with how it was moving while time went up the stairs, he couldn't help but enjoy the view.

At the top of the stairs they parted ways for their showers which were a bit longer than normal because they had to deal with a problem the other's body had caused. Once they were cleaned up they headed out to the car and got ready to go to work.

The silence in the car was friendly with both lost in their own thoughts. As they made it to the building, Vance realized he had not asked Tim about his dreams. "Hey Tim. Come up to my office for a bit. I just realized we hadn't talked about your nightmares and you have around twenty minutes until Gibbs told you to be here."

"Yes, sir. Let me just put my things at my desk."

"Ok. Just meet me in my office."

Tim nodded in response and they parted ways so Tim could be ready for the day when he was done meeting with Vance. Tim paused in his movements and sighed. 'This is the first time in years that I am going to tell someone about my nightmares.' Tim sighed again. 'I hope I am making the right choice.' With that last thought, Tim walked away from his desk toward the stairs that would inevitable get him to Vance's office.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed. If you have any suggestions or ideas about the story let me know. Please review. Have a nice day, morning, evening, or night depending on which time zone you're in.**


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